Dirty Linen - A Food Podcast with Dani Valent

When she found herself making a tonne of salad a month, Adrienne Jory realised her side hustle might have become a real business. We talk about her homely Brisbane restaurant Bar Francine and her firm ideas about keeping her staff happy, rewarded and nurtured. https://www.barfrancine.com Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dirtylinenpodcast Follow Dani Valent https://www.inst...

Gin is having a moment. We talk to gin communicator Leon Dalloway about gin's backstory, the ups and downs of the drink over the centuries, and the particular qualities of Australian gin. Leon's Gin Journey tour company is celebrating 10 years. Currently running in London and Sydney, he's about to do his first Melbourne gin crawl as part of the upcoming Melbourne Cocktail Festival. https://melbour...

After looking to find a genuine purpose and help deal with post-natal depression, Jaimi Pennell (Forgotten Sound Farm) began growing food at home. With her hands in the soil, it wasn’t long before she yearned to have her own farm to feed the wider community, and one day supply restaurants. She’s now four months into her dream and making a huge impact in the scenic rim. Follow Fishtales, a Seafood...

Legendary St Kilda restaurant Donovans is changing hands for the first time since it opened in 1997. On August 31, founders Gail and Kevin Donovan will hand over the beachfront business to their ‘adopted son’ Nick Parkhouse, the current general manager of the restaurant. https://donovans.com.au https://www.theage.com.au/goodfood/melbourne-eating-out/one-of-melbourne-s-most-iconic-restaurants-chang...

You're hanging with me today! I chat about where I've been eating and what I've been writing about. There's also a bit of storytime as I read my recent review of Commis, first published in The Age Good Food. Listen through to the end to hear about Foodies For Yes, my campaign to vote yes for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. Dani's articles: https://www.theage.com.au/goodfood/by/dani-valent-hven6...

Something a bit different today! The recent Halliday Wine Companion Awards are one of the biggest events on the Australian wine calendar and Shanteh Wale, host of our sister podcast Over A Glass, is a judge and award presenter. What makes these awards meaningful, what do they say about the Australian wine industry and who took their shoes off on the night of nights? https://winecompanion.com.au/re...

Facing a personal tragedy and the many trials that go into opening a business, pastry chef Elisha Kesici is the proud and determined owner of Sucree Dessert and Wine Bar in Melbourne's Essendon. We talk about her Turkish background, a succession of mentors who helped her learn and grow, and her long-term determination to run a dessert bar. https://sucreedessertandwinebar.com.au Follow Dirty Linen...

Deep in the southern forests of Western Australia Judith Bennett and her husband Richard (Belvedere Valley) are raising Wagyu on a rotational grazing system. Grass pastures are paired with their own meadow hay to give their cows a happy healthy life completely raised on grass, and delivering a truly unique eating experience. https://belvederevalley.com.au Follow The Producers on Instagram https://...

This is the fifth episode in our special series, The Long and Short of Opening a Restaurant. We’re following the journey of renowned chef and restaurateur Martin Boetz: he’s moved home to Brisbane and is working towards opening ShortGrain, an Asian eatery and foodstore - or is it actually a proper restaurant, Marty? With just over a month until opening, it’s time to check in for a progress report....

When Mariano De Giacomi was a boy in Naples, the pizza cooks were heroes and working as one seemed unattainable. But from a start washing dishes and practicing with leftover dough after the cooks had gone home, Mariano is now living in Australia where he's the executive chef at pizza restaurants Gradi Group, the owner of a catering company and an irrepressible pizza experimenter and innovator. We...

Manish Mehrotra is one of India's most prominent chefs, with his Indian Accent restaurant flourishing in New Delhi, New York, London and now Mumbai. We catch up to talk about his approach to contemporary Indian cuisine, his childhood in Patna in a strict vegetarian household, and his upcoming trip to Melbourne to cook at Tonka.  https://www.instagram.com/chefmanishmehrotra/?hl=en Follow Dirty Line...

We love shining a light on new talent at Dirty Linen so when we heard about a 17-year-old high school student who had done work experience at restaurants including Vue de monde and Grossi Florentino, we had to find out more. Harry Lalor talks us through his passions, his observations on the hospitality industry, his efforts to make an Instagram-worthy strawberry tart and his tips for getting a foo...

Emelia Prendergast is known as the Queen of Conserves. Under her The Saucy Australian brand she produces and sells a vast range of 54 condiments from the familiar - tomato sauce, apple sauce - to the quirky - one is called Sweet Serendipity, another is a Crustacean dressing. No matter what, they all have Emelia’s mysterious secret ingredient. I wonder if she’ll tell us what it is... https://emelia...

What if we could actually make a difference to climate change? Filmmaker Rachel Ward felt as impotent and horrified as any of us watching - and being impacted by - the Black Summer bushfires. Then she realised her New South Wales hobby farm might be a site of change and action. The journey to regenerative farming is chronicled in her new film Rachel’s Farm: it's inspiring, empowering and will make...

Chocolate Queen Kirsten Tibballs is a lifelong learner and generous teacher. She won gold in the Pastry Olympics and founded industry-leading patisserie school Savour in Melbourne in 2002. How did she get started, what drives her and what advice does she have about career pathways and easy wins for chefs struggling to create a killer dessert menu? https://linktr.ee/KirstenTibballs Follow Dirty Lin...

Ditching gas and embracing electric cooking is going to happen, both in domestic kitchens and in hospitality. It's just a question of when. Chef and kitchen consultant Luke Burgess is working for pro-electric agency CookSafe to advocate for induction. We talk about tradition, change, health and money. What can we do today to start cooking with power? https://cooksafecoalition.org Follow Dirty Line...

After a career traversing the globe as a photojournalist, Tim Wimborne and his family moved to regional NSW and his new food journey began, first with native mountain pepper, and now with an incredible pasta and flat bread offering under the banner of Braidwood Food Company. https://www.braidwoodfood.com Follow The Producers on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/producerspodcast/ Host Dani Valent...

Familiar food and a sense of purpose and community can be pivotal in helping refugees and migrants feel welcome, connected and nourished. We learn from Shingi Nyabonda who works with Mildura's Food Next Door Co-op: food security isn't just about consuming calories, it's about being empowered to eat in a way that feels right. https://www.foodnextdoor.org.au Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://w...

Who loves the sound of a four-day week? Adam Brownell is the new CEO of Hectors Deli, a Melbourne sandwich brand with three stores and a cultish following. He outlines the initiatives he's hoping will turn Hectors in particular - and hospitality in general - into an employer of choice. Adam also shares advice for any business looking to improve training, retention and culture. https://www.hectorsd...

Geelong is on song! We head to G-Town to chat with Eli Grubb, head chef at Westend, a relaunched restaurant in a classic old pub in the thriving Little Malop precinct. We cover culture, mentoring, mental health and ambition. https://westendgeelong.com.au Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dirtylinenpodcast Follow Dani Valent https://www.instagram.com/danivalent Follow Rob Lo...

Jake Wolki and his wife Ann run Wolki farm and butchery in Albury in New South Wales.  They started the farm in 2019 on a hobby block that his dad used for conventional cattle. Things changed very quickly, thanks to YouTube rabbitholes and a deepening commitment to doing things differently. The Wolkis farm according to five principles: animal welfare, environmental backbone, healing food, communit...

I'm sending you a Postcard from Brisbane! I've just spent five days eating my way around Brisbane, enjoying the food, wine, feeling and sunshine. Join me for meals, cocktails, coffee and tips for Queensland capital city dining, plus a sneaky jaunt to the Gold Coast. Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dirtylinenpodcast Follow Dani Valent https://www.instagram.com/danivalent F...

Australia is rife with pizza restaurants but there's noone doing what Paul Kasten does at Deep End in Melbourne. The year-old restaurant is a destination for New York, Chicago and Detroit-style pizzas, crafted with dedication by an American chef who is a pizza nerd from way back. We talk about the joys and challenges of running a small business with a unique offering. Oh, and cheese pulls, there's...

The countdown to Shortgrain continues. This is the fourth episode in our special series, The Long and Short of Opening a Restaurant. We’re following the journey of renowned chef and restaurateur Martin Boetz as he works towards opening ShortGrain, an Asian food store and eatery in Brisbane. With about 2 months until opening - we hope - it’s time to check in for a progress report… https://www.insta...

After more than 20 years involvement in scientific research Julie Martyn (Artisa) moved to Tasmania and began looking for opportunities where she could indulge in her foodie interests. A mix of opportunity and science lead her to exploring plant-based cheese, especially those that might incorporate some of the amazing Tasmanian produce. https://artisa.com.au Follow The Producers on Instagram https...